1
as in risk
a danger or difficulty that is hidden or not easily recognized
the drug lowers cholesterol, but the catch-22 is that it mainly lowers good cholesterol
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2
as in dilemma
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape
the catch-22 faced by every first-time loan applicant: how to get a loan without a credit history
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3
as in problem
a situation in which one has to choose between two or more equally unsatisfactory choices
an environmental catch-22: building wind farms results in scenic eyesores; not building wind farms results in greater pollution from fossil fuels
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of catch-22
The catch-22 is that Gordon arguably shouldn’t be doubling up on roles too much this early in the season — especially in the immediate aftermath of his own injury.
—
Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 7 Dec. 2024
This lopsided ecosystem of ultra-rich tech moguls battling each other has enriched Nvidia while forcing application developers into a catch-22 of either using a low-cost and low-performance model bound to disappoint users, or face paying exorbitant inference costs and risk going bankrupt.
—Kai-Fu Lee, WIRED, 26 Nov. 2024
Select the right seat People who deal with migraines tend to be ultra-sensitive to motion sickness, which is a catch-22 because motion sickness can trigger an attack.
—Cheyenne Buckingham, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Nov. 2024
Pepe and Lonergan may in fact be caught in a catch-22.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for catch-22
Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 7 Dec. 2024
This lopsided ecosystem of ultra-rich tech moguls battling each other has enriched Nvidia while forcing application developers into a catch-22 of either using a low-cost and low-performance model bound to disappoint users, or face paying exorbitant inference costs and risk going bankrupt.
—Kai-Fu Lee, WIRED, 26 Nov. 2024
Select the right seat People who deal with migraines tend to be ultra-sensitive to motion sickness, which is a catch-22 because motion sickness can trigger an attack.
—Cheyenne Buckingham, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Nov. 2024
Pepe and Lonergan may in fact be caught in a catch-22.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for catch-22
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catch-22
Noun
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The Rise Of SaaS And IIoT Rising costs, including both supplies and labor, along with the constant risk of supply chain disruptions pressure manufacturers to improve efficiency and resilience.—
Ed Garibian,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
-
As Givenchy found out the hard way, product reformulation is a risk—especially for something the brand is known for.—
Lindy Segal,
Glamour,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Ben Colman, co-founder and CEO of Reality Defender, a company specializing in deepfake detection, weighed in on the designer's dilemma.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
4 Mar. 2025
-
The political dilemma facing Trump and the Republicans is one that an earlier generation of conservative revolutionaries faced forty-odd years ago.—
John Cassidy,
The New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
A little more than four hours in the air without a hitch.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2025
-
The Ritz-Carlton spans 144 acres of property and went through its own massive renovation in 2021 ensuring that fan favorite events from poolside parties to the Grand Finale Dinner at Michelin starred Blue by Eric Ripert and more could continue without a hitch.—
Alissa Fitzgerald,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Now, there are clearly two ways out of this predicament for Leeds United.—
Jordan Campbell,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
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Is there a way out of our divided country’s seemingly hopeless predicament?—
Jackie Strause,
The Hollywood Reporter,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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By focusing on building a robust and scalable business, Stripe has remained a market leader and avoided many common pitfalls of premature decision making.—
Will Fan,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
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Here are all the egg substitutes our experts swear by, plus where and when to use them and common pitfalls to watch out for.—
Audrey Bruno,
SELF,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
New foods include chicken bacon ranch waffle stick, pickle juice lemonade, flaming hot chili mac dog and more.—
Shafaq Patel,
Axios,
28 Feb. 2025
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Fact checked by Sarah Scott Think a hankering for pickle juice is just a weird pregnancy quirk?—
Hannah Silverman,
Parents,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Making your favorite sweaters, sweatshirts, and coats look brand new again is possible with a fabric shaver that wipes away snags in seconds.—
Carly Totten,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Feb. 2025
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The team’s historic start hit a major snag as injuries ravaged the program and forced the Horned Frogs to forfeit two Big 12 games.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But there’s a catch: The pharma giant wants tax cuts before moving forward.—
Francisco Velasquez,
Quartz,
28 Feb. 2025
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That was on top of his four interceptions and 11 pass breakups on defense while allowing only 23 catches and one TD on 41 targets in coverage.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Catch-22.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catch-22. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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